My mother, Thelma Credle Fulford, met with
her younger brother, Albert Bryce Credle, his wife, Virginia Wade Jennette
Credle, and her mother, Willie Wade Jennette, on Sunday afternoon, September
24, 2000, to discuss their memories of families who lived in the Rose Bay
community of Hyde County from around 1916 to the 1940s. They began at what
is Rose Bay Creek (where the Rose Bay Oyster House now stands), and placed
the families as far as the old Plank Bridge area (just beyond where the
Bell Island Game Refuge entry is). There are several roads that tie into
this stretch, and as a general rule, the names follow one side of the road,
then, stopping at the Plank bridge area, the families will go down the
other side of the road. I will try to point out these changes. Let me point
out to the readers that if any of your family names are in error, I am
sorry; many of them are strictly phonetic. "Miss Willie," Virginia,
Bryce, and my mother were unsure of many of the spellings. - Florence
Fulford Moore

Beginning on the left-hand side of the road
at the Rose Bay Creek bridge:

Willis Swindell married Rebecca (unknown)1
[see addendum]-
they had two children, Allen and Ruth Swindell; she died at age 16 of flu.

Willis Pegram married (unknown). They had two
daughters, Marthia and Perlina, whose nickname was "Tiny." The
entire family died of tuberculosis around 1918. The second family to occupy
this house was: Romulus Watson married (unknown). 2
[see addendum]
The third family to occupy this same house was: Oliver Ange married (unknown).
The fourth family to occupy this same house was: Elmo Lupton and his sister,
Beatrice Lupton, who married Joe Rayburn. 3
[see addendum]

Harvey Carawan married Sarah Pegram Ballance.
4 [see addendum]
Sarah had Maggie and Johnny Ballance by her first husband (unknown), then
Mack, Muriel, and Billy Gene Carawan by her second husband.

Joe Mason's 5
[see addendum]
mother lived in the next house - her name was Clarissa Mason Flood, and
everyone in the community called her "Miss Clarissy." One interesting
tidbit of information that my mother (Thelma Credle Fulford) and "Miss
Willie" remembered was that "Miss Clarissy" was for the
Union during the Civil War.

Across the road from "Miss Clarissy"
lived:

Alton Sawyer married Lula Alcock. They had
Bernard, Sherwood, and Ernie. Alton's father, Eben Sawyer 6
[see addendum]
lived up the lane from them (off the main road).

Joe Mason [see
addendum 5]
married Ina Popperville; they had Clyde, Gladys, Harvey, Marvin, Mary Elizabeth,
John Jesse, and Marie. There was a sawmill in front of where Joe and Ina
lived.

Leo Porter married Pauline (unknown) - they
had Laura, Ruby, and a son (unknown). They lived up Porter's Lane.

Miss "Mag" Mason and Silvanus Mason
8 [see addendum].
They had Lela and Corrinne 9 [see addendum].
Corrinne was married twice - first husband unknown; second husband Ralph
Hodges. She had James, Catherine, and Hilda by him.

Billy Carawan married Annie Neal 11
[see addendum];
they had Willie, Staton, Harvey, Betty, Ruth, Martha, Annie Mae (who died
of hemorrhagic fever at a young age); and Arthur Windley.

Charlie Sadler married Pearl Harris 12
[see addendum].
They lived in what used to be the Old Schoolhouse but later moved to another
location. They had Hazel, Robert Lee, Kathleen, Gaston Bell, Edna Lucille,
Lindsey Warren, and Travis.

Clarence Jennette married Willie Wade and built
a new house. They had Virginia, Marlene, Cecelia, Sandra, and Clarence,
Jr.

(FAMILIES ON "THE OLD TURNPIKE"
ROAD - Toward the town of Fairfield)

At Rose Bay Fork:

John Jarvis married Evelyn Mayo; they had no
children. They ran a small store at the right-hand intersection of the
highway to Swan Quarter and the road to Fairfield.

George Tilson Credle married Martha Etta Mae
Cartwright. They had Albert Cartwright, Sidney Vincent, Mary Etta, George
Veal, J. Mack, and Charles Conway Credle. George Tilson Credle also had
a country store across the Outfall Canal from John and Evelyn Jarvis' store.
George and Martha also boarded the teachers who taught school at Rose Bay.

There was a third store at Rose Bay, Bob Chadwick's
store--across the road immediately in front of George Tilson Credle's store.

Homes Beyond the Chadwick Store, Going Toward
Plank Bridge Road:

Cahoon Family (unknown) - Ava Blanche and Willie
Hallett Cahoon. (lived in the same house after the Cahoons left) Henry
Spencer (unknown)

Miss Ruth Chadwick - her grandmother, Deborah
Swindell, father, Robert, and mother, Margaret Ann (unknown) 13
[see addendum],
who was from Fairfield, shared this home. There was also a black woman
who lived with them; her name was Dicey (unknown). When Dicey died, Molly
(unknown) was hired to live with them.

On January 28, 1885, Henry W(hite) Gibbs took out a marriage license
to wed Cora Eva Carawan at the residence of R.B. Carawan. They had Lula L.
Gibbs born Nov. 1885, Rufus Gibbs born July 1889, and Sallie Mary Gibbs born
December 1893 and Mattie Belle Gibbs born 1903. Sallie Mary married Albert Cartwright Credle--they are the
parents of Thelma Credle Fulford. Henry W(hite) Gibbs was buried on April 15,
1904 in the Kilby Cemetery in Beaufort County. After
his death Cora moved back to Rose Bay to stay with her parents. She
married Benjamin C. Carawan on Nov. 28, 1906. No children were born from this
marriage. Mattie Bell Gibbs married Foster L. Jarvis in Hyde Co. on October
19, 1918 when Mattie was only 15 and Foster was 19. Their children were Henry
Lincoln, Carl Maxton, and Foster Linwood Jarvis. Foster L. Jarvis died and
Mattie married Delwood C. Cherry and they lived in Bath NC.

Jody Williams married Arthell Daw, who was
from Pantego - they lived in this community around early 1930s.

Joe Garner married Gertrude ________. They
had so many children that folks did not know their names except the last
child's--Gertrude named him "FINISH." She had no more children.
(African Americans)

Manuel Credle married Alice _______. They had
Mandy, Idell, and Dicey. (African Americans.) Idell married Kelly Whitaker,
who killed her. (This family is out of sequence, as they lived next to
Cora and Benjamin Carawan.)

Clee Hardy married Dollie (unknown) 17
[see addendum]
- they lived in the school house for black children. Ralph Hodges married
Corinne Mason. These folks lived briefly at Rose Bay but moved to Washington
NC - they were the last house before you get to Plank Bridge. They had
Johnnie, Lonnie, Bessie, and others. (house is out of sequence)

The Rose Bay School for blacks was
located on Hwy. 264 next to Bell Island Road. This school was established
in 1907 and was closed in 1949. The children of the area then went to the
Training School in Swan Quarter. Among the teachers were Annie Bonner and
Juanita Gibbs. The owner of the house in 1976 was Dollie Hardy. - Photo
and information taken from Hyde County History.

Tokie Whitaker (African American) also lived
in this house. (Note that Tokie Whitaker's name is listed in several places
- evidently, he lived in several homes in the area.)

LANDING ROAD

There were two houses next door to each other,
inhabited by two African American families: Florence Hardee lived in one;
however, they shared the houses among her children Clee, Burnell, Martha,
John, Charlie, Jether, Kelly, Elgie, and Ophelia. Charlie married Bell
Hardy, and they had Ruby.

Carrol Gibbs married Lida Bridgman. They had
C. D. and Margie Payne Gibbs. They moved to the Plank Bridge Road house
from the region around Lake Mattamuskeet.

Tokie Whittaker (lived in a house in front
of the Carroll Gibbs residence) (African American)

George McKinney married (unknown) - they had
Bill and two other children. (This house was on the left going toward Plank
Bridge.)

Shorty Walker (African American)

Blount Credle married Essie Brown; they had
Annie Dell and other children.

Luke Sawyer married Betty (unknown) Evans.
She had Lucille, Thurman, Aleen (who were by her first husband, a Mr. Evans),
and Dewey, who was Luke's son.

George Bell Carawan married Lucy Howard. They
had Columbus, Stats, Rita, and Mildred.

J. B. O'Neal married "Miss Puss."
(No one knew what "Miss Puss's" name really was, because that
was all her husband and family called her.) They had John B., who married
Violet Jennette) and Mary.

Captain Billy Spencer married Miss Annie (unknown)
. They had John, Charlie, Macon, and Lillian. Later living in the same
house: Joe Bridgman married Bertha (unknown) - they had Willie and other
children.

Peter Sawyer married Orpha (unknown) 18
[see addendum].
They had Luke and Viola.

_________ Harris married (unknown); they had
Churchville and Mary (African American)